The use of wind energy as an energy resource in distribution networks is increasing. A disadvantage to using wind energy, however, is the emission of flicker in an electrical distribution network (EDN), which may adversely affect power quality during system operation. An effective way to improve power quality is to include the allocation of wind turbines (WTs) in the planning phase. The location and size of WTs can significantly improve the network power quality and electrical performance in an EDN. This paper considers modeling for flicker emission by using a mixed integer non-linear programming (MINLP) model to determine the optimal location and size of WTs. The optimal design of the network associated with WTs generation profile patterns and the variation of load demand during the planning horizon 24-h is also determined. The proposed model is implemented in GAMS and tested on a standard IEEE 33-bus system.
